STATE WINNER
Etta
60 Lygon St, Brunswick East
(03) 9448 8233
Chef Rosheen Kaul
Price guide $
Bookings
Recommended
Wheelchair access Yes Open Lunch Sat; Dinner Tue-Sat
CONTEMPORARY
Is it possible to improve on alt-bistro perfection? Clearly, yes. Etta has gone from strength to super-strength with the arrival of chef Rosheen Kaul, who has cemented star status at this intimate Brunswick East bar and dining room. Mining her mixed-Asian heritage, the snacky menu specialises in flavour broadsides from left field, whether that’s wood-grilled skewers of abalone and lardo with a fragrant sprinkle of Kampot pepper, say, or the sweet freshness of raw scallops with nectarine, dragon fruit and Thai basil. Regulars, meanwhile, need not fear the signature hits (the crisp rice salad with red-curry pork sausage and mussels; the umami bomb of tempura enoki mushrooms, shiitakes and Savoy cabbage) are going anywhere soon. On the floor, owner Hannah Green continues to steer the ship with a molecular understanding of diner whims, ready as ever to quench thirsts with a quiver of interesting lo-fi wines. Vive la evolution.
Alta Trattoria
Rear, 274 Brunswick
St, Fitzroy (enter via Victoria St)
(03) 9417 0526
Chef McKay Wilday
Price guide $$$
Wheelchair access Yes
Open Lunch Sat-Sun; Dinner Mon-Sat
ITALIAN
It’s the small touches – fried capers on the vitello tonnato, the clarity of a broth bobbing with cockerel-stuffed ravioli and pickled mushrooms, the crisp edges of Alta’s homage to the focaccia of Italy’s north-west – that often nudge chef McKay Wilday’s celebration of Piedmontese cuisine towards the sublime. But the struggle can be real at Alta, especially when you’re forced to decide between, say, tajarin tossed with an impeccable rabbit ragù or a lemon and chestnut gnocchi. There are many such dilemmas, not least with the superb wine list built on a core of Piedmontese wines surrounded by an expertly assembled, frequently changing chorus of Italian, French and Australian labels. Owned and run by a team of crack industry professionals, Alta is an ode to detail. It’s present everywhere – service, lighting, glassware – and underlined by an absolute clarity about what a delightful backstreet trattoria is put on this earth to do.
Attica
74 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea
(03) 9530 0111
Chef Ben Shewry
Price guide $$$$$
Bookings Essential
Wheelchair access No
Open Dinner Tue-Sat
AUSTRALIAN
Some things you might not expect at Attica: lasagne, pikelets, a pie and sauce. Granted, these are Ben Shewry’s takes, so the lasagne (called “Eat the Problem”) features an invasive-pest ragù of buffalo, venison and boar wrapped in green-ant-studded pasta sheets. The pikelets, served with mud crab and bunya-bunya cream, are green with sea lettuce. The pie stars
